On track to break the record

The Pineapple Express loaded with warm air and rain that slammed into Western Washington last night is on track to potentially break the rainfall record for this season.

By a little after 9 a.m., about 3.5 inches had fallen at Sea-Tac since midnight, and the heavy rain is not expected to abate for another six hours, which could potentially push the gauge over the 24-hour record of 5.02 inches set Oct. 20, 2003, said meteorologist Brad Colman with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

The culprit is a very strong jet stream of subtropical air originating in Hawaii that hits the mountains here and “wrings all the moisture out,” he said. “It’s like a fire hose aimed right at us.”

In Seattle, wind gusts of up to 50 mph are possible, although the strongest wind events have been at the coast, he said.

The wind and rain is expected to taper tonight, he said. “We expect a relatively quiet week weather-wise after that.”